Umar Johnson Disinvited From Anne Arundel Community College

by Jamal Eric Watson

Dr. Umar Johnson, a controversial Black activist and speaker, has been disinvited from speaking at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland after a group of students complained that he espouses anti-gay rhetoric.

Boston College Under Investigation Over Access for Disabled

by Associated Press

Boston College has become more difficult to navigate for people with disabilities in recent years, according to former and current students whose complaints have prompted an investigation into whether the school is violating accessibility laws.

Diverse Docket: Morehead State Unanimous Winner on Appeal

by Eric Freedman

Morehead State University didn’t violate First Amendment rights or commit disability discrimination when it denied tenure to an assistant professor of art history, a unanimous federal appeals panel has ruled.

Study Links Discrimination, Blacks’ Risk of Mental Disorders

by Catherine Morris

New research shows that African Americans and Caribbean Blacks who experience multiple types of discrimination are at a much greater risk for a variety of mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

AAC&U Panel on Recruitment and Retention of Faculty of Color

by Catherine Morris

Even for those colleges and universities that value diversity to the extent that they have a dedicated officer or dean of diversity, problems of inclusion and support for faculty and students of color may still be an institutional challenge.

Putting ABC’s ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ in Context with Black History Month

Diverse Docket: Instructor’s Suit Against Delgado Community College Can Move Forward

by Eric Freedman

A Korean American chemistry instructor can pursue allegations that Delgado Community College denied her a promotion and then terminated her because of racial and national origin discrimination, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Initiative in California Clearing Path to Law School for Underrepresented

Bensimon’s Journey Leads to Advocacy for Equity

by Christina Sturdivant

At the 10th Annual American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education’s National Conference in March, Dr. Estela Bensimon will receive the Outstanding Latino/a Faculty in Higher Education: Research/Teaching (Research Institutions) award.

NCAA to Honor Former Paralympic Winner With Inspiration Award

More Women, Minorities in New Congress

by Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The 114th Congress that convenes today will count more minorities and women than ever, although lawmakers remain overwhelmingly White and male in the Republican-controlled House and Senate.

Iowa Regents Support Freezing Tuition

IOWA CITY – Iowa higher education leaders endorsed plans Thursday to freeze tuition rates for undergraduates next school year in exchange for what they called a modest funding increase from the Legislature.

Presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa called for holding tuition at current rates during the 2013-2014 school year as long as lawmakers approve their request for a 2.6 percent funding increase. Leaders of the Iowa Board of Regents, which governs the universities, also expressed support for the plan, which they are expected to approve in December.

“Being in tune to student concerns, particularly the cost of higher education, is appreciated,” University of Iowa student body president Nic Pottebaum told the board during a meeting at the student union in Iowa City.

University officials say the freeze is possible because inflation in higher education is expected to be low and they are used to managing tight budgets. After cutting a combined $125 million in state funds in recent years, the universities received a $23 million funding increase this year—the first in years.

Regents leaders said they believe they’ll be successful in lobbying the Legislature for another increase if they explain it will be used to freeze tuition, a politically popular idea. The state budget is also in good shape, with a surplus that has Gov. Terry Branstad considering ways to cut taxes.

Board member Bruce Rastetter and board President Craig Lang warned that the regents could later approve a tuition hike if lawmakers do not support a funding increase. Rastetter, a top Branstad ally who has taken the lead on trying to improve the universities’ relationships with lawmakers, said the plan was part of “a continued development of a partnership with the state.”

The plan would keep base tuition at $6,678 at Iowa and $6,648 at Iowa State and Northern Iowa. It would raise tuition by less than 3 percent for out-of-state undergraduates, generating $9.3 million in new revenue. Graduate and professional students would also see increases that would bring in an extra $4.5 million.

Enrollment is up at Iowa and Iowa State in recent years, partly due to more aggressive out-of-state recruiting, which has also helped offset state funding cuts.

But Northern Iowa, which attracts fewer out-of-state students, has struggled financially and has eliminated dozens of majors and minors. For that reason, the school’s student leaders said Thursday they would not join their colleagues elsewhere in endorsing the freeze.

“We’d hate to see the agony caused by those cuts to be for nothing,” said student body president Jordan Bancroft-Smithe. “While we recognize that rising tuition costs are a threat to Iowa’s future, an even greater threat would be deterioration in quality at our higher education institutions.”

Jared Knight, student body president at Iowa State, praised the freeze but warned regents that graduate program tuition increases would be painful. He said those students “feel targeted” and that they are being left out because they have less political appeal.

Iowa State President Steven Leath said he believed the impact of those increases would be minimal because many graduate students receive tuition scholarships and will see bigger stipends next year.

Separately, the regents approved a five-year plan that would allow the universities to phase out a controversial policy of using at least 15 percent of tuition revenue to provide scholarships and grants to students. Critics say the policy unfairly requires some students to pay higher tuition to help others.

Instead, the plan asks lawmakers to create a $40 million financial aid program for low-income students, and for private foundations to raise more than $200 million to create endowments for merit scholarships. University leaders said the fundraising goals would be a challenge.

Rastetter said he would promise lawmakers that, for every financial aid dollar provided, tuition would be reduced by the same amount for in-state undergraduates the following year.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Serving as the chief academic officer, the Provost provides dynamic academic and strategic leadership for the university, with broad vision, a perpetual fresh perspective, and balanced judgment and creativity.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The University seeks an exceptional individual who will provide visionary leadership to the advancement division and oversee all aspects of development, the foundation and alumni relations.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Reporting to the Provost & Senior Vice President, this position is responsible for the development and implementation of a comprehensive enrollment strategy to achieve BGSU’s undergraduate and graduate student enrollment targets, including traditional, transfer, international, and online.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration (SVP) is a key member of the President’s Operating Team, will serve as senior financial and operational strategist for the College.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Tracking data from the 13 Mountain West CTR-IN consortium universities, data analysis, preparation of reports and presentations for CTR-IN leadership and NIH, and coordination of the national CTR Tracking and Evaluation Network for all 5 NIH funded centers.

Historically Black college and university leaders are seeking the means to move their institutions from a model of tuition-dependency to opening alternative revenue streams that will ensure their institutions’ financial future.